Suck it NBA! The NHL is the first pro league to present their solution to not only execute their playoffs but finish their regular season. The concept is to have four neutral locations for each division to finish out the regular season in. There will be three games a day playing on the ice surface, much like an amateur tournament.
Emily Kaplan of ESPN has the suggested sites.
This excited me, of course, I want hockey back. I want to watch meaningful games from 11 am – 11 pm every day. This is a hockey fan’s wet dream.
But there are a few major questions I have.
How do you deal with travel? Because most teams still have out of division games left in the schedule.
Also depending on the location, ice quality could be piss poor. Carolina is a tough thought in July. And anywhere in the Atlantic except Toronto or Montreal could be tough too. Then you also have to go and play three games a day on that ice, yikes.
Not to mention Colorado and Ottowa have not cleared their rosters as Corona free. The Avalanche were still announcing players who got it as late as last week.
So many questions are bouncing around my mind right now, but the thing that raises above the noise is Jake Guentzel is healthy and the Penguins have a full roster.
thoughtsfromthebench.com 